NBC Plans Break in Olympics Tradition With A.M. Broadcast of Opening Ceremonies

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorLots of unexpected things can happen in the wee hours of the morning. But NBC is keeping at least one element constant.The network recently renewed its contract with Seth Meyers to host “Late Night,” the post-midnight perennial that has been on the air since David Letterman launched it in 1982.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has gone strong for Manchester City's Champions League last-16 first leg against Borussia Monchengladbach.City are in Hungary for the away leg as Germany have Covid-19 restrictions in place, but away goals will still count for any scored by the Blues.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterMcKayla Maroney is evidently impressed with United Talent Agency, having signed in all areas with the representation firm, Variety has learned exclusively.The Olympic gold medalist rose to fame as part of the “fierce five” team of gymnasts to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorOne of the nation’s most prominent TV companies intends to — finally — stop selling local commercials based on long-used TV ratings.NBCUniversal announced in 2019 that planned to shift all transactions for local ad campaigns to impressions-based deals, but granted additional time to certain clients and agencies who needed to evaluate what the move might mean to their operations.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMany kids love to watch TV, but have little desire to learn the intricacies of the business behind it. Nickelodeon aims to change that dynamic.The ViacomCBS kids-media giant will host a showcase on March 18 at 4 p.m., all part of the advertising-sales session known as TV’s “upfront” market.  The presentation aims to lure many of the advertising and media-buying executives Nickelodeon needs to fuel its operations.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNBC has stocked its Peacock streaming-video hub with a handful of late-night-style series.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIndependent label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE has opened a division in the US to help grow the local scene in West Asia and North Africa and its diaspora. To head up the territory, EMPIRE has hired Suhel Nafar (pictured above) as Vice President of Strategy & Market Development.

direct to your inboxLatest Covid-19 figures reveal Tameside is one of only 13 areas in England where rates have gone up in the last week.It is one of just three areas in the north west region to show an increasing trend in infection rates - alongside Copeland in western Cumbria and the South Lakes.The percentage change in cases is reported week-on-week, not day-by-day.The latest rates, published by Public Health England on Thursday, are for the week ending February 14, and the percentage change

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infections are falling across the majority of Greater Manchester.But as the latest covid heat map shows, there are big variations in the number of infections, from borough to borough and often with towns themselves. An interactive map shows the number of positive Covid test results in each neighbourhood across the country using Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSavannah Guthrie’s next one-hour special won’t appear on any of NBC News’ best known properties, which include “Today” and “NBC Nightly News.”  And yet, it may be of more critical importance to the NBCUniversal-owned news organization than any in-depth report she’s presented in recent months.Guthrie will today kick off a week-long focus by NBC News on the mental health of young people during the pandemic, the first of what NBC News President Noah Oppenheim says

first discovered in the South East just before Christmas - has now become the most common variant in Bolton, accounting for more than 85 per cent of positive tests.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel plans to fill its 11 p.m. weeknight hour with an “irreverent” late-night show from host Greg Gutfeld, the latest in a series of programming maneuvers the Fox Corporation-owned outlet has put into place in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election,The show currently airing at 11 p.m.

For the first time ever, NBC will air a live morning broadcast of an Olympic opening ceremony. The four-hour Tokyo Opening Ceremony on July 23 will kick off a full day of Olympic programming on NBC.  It will be followed by a special edition of Today with reaction and athlete interviews, and then NBC’s first-ever Olympic Daytime show on the opening Friday of the Games at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter driving “Thunder Road” for decades, Bruce Springsteen is taking a detour on Madison Avenue.The musician known as “The Boss” will command two minutes of commercial time in Super Bowl LV Sunday night, all part of a mammoth Jeep ad meant to reflect a national mood of coming together after four years of politics and polarization.

No beef here! Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess were spotted enjoying date night at the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum’s ex-girlfriend Tina Louise‘s new restaurant.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPresident Joe Biden’s first formal interview as the Commander-in-Chief will take place during a uniquely American event: the Super Bowl.that has the occupant of the Oval Office take a few minutes to speak with the news division of the network airing the Big Game.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorVerizon’s Super Bowl efforts don’t start and end with a commercial.Yes, the telecommunications giant will air a commercial during CBS’ broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday, but that’s only part of the show the company expects to put into action.On Tuesday and Friday, Verizon plans to livestream videos – hosted by late-night personalities Desus and The Kid Mero — of top NFL players taking part in games created specifically for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue tends to focus on the young. Now the owner of TV’s Lifetime, History and A&E cable outlets is pressing advertisers to pay more attention to more than a few old souls.A+E Networks intends to do ad deals based on what it calls a “total audience currency” in the industry’s next round of “upfront” negotiations, when U.S.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell are upbeat the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will go forward as planned and said advertisers are optimistic as well, based on what they’re seeing.